The release of Till, the biopic about Mamie Till-Mobley as she deals with the horrific and tragic lynching of her son Emmett Till in 1955, is on the horizon. The civil rights icon's story is a testament to the power and strength of the woman who, despite being in the throes of grief, turned her pain into a lightning rod moment in the fight for equal rights. That kind of story needs a fitting theme and luckily the team behind the film turned to Jazmine Sullivan, who contributes her song "Stand Up" to the film.
"Stand Up" has a quality similar to the kind of inspirational songs you'd hear playing over the end credits of a movie like Till. However, Jazmine doesn't allow the song to fall into the cookie-cutter feel-good moment. Instead, she infuses the song with a bit of soul and gospel thanks to the layering of piano, snaps, claps and even organ and strings that liven things up.
Meanwhile, Jazmine speaks to the sense of working toward a cause that's bigger than all of us. She instills listeners with hope and the urge to fight on with the song's lyrics. "I try my best every time I wake / To find my meaning in everything / I don't waste this season / 'Cause time don't wait," she sings. "I'm counting on me, and I'm counting on you."
Till is definitely a movie that has something to say and "Stand Up" fits right in with the message that Mamie Till-Mobley often preached in the years after her son's untimely death. Allow Jazmine Sullivan to minister to you when you press play, and look for Till to arrive in theaters on October 14th.